Chapter
32
"A
step in the right direction."
The
running footsteps echoed through the hall as a young boy desperately
tried to catch up with the Pokemon ahead of him. He scampered between
people and furniture, hoping not to bump into anything along the way
because of his blurred vision.
"PIKACHU!" Max bellowed, "Give me back my glasses!"
Pikachu, who was running on all fours, stopped in its tracks, and looked back at the boy with a mocking grin. It held the frame of the glasses between its teeth, and while it made sure to hang on tight so it wouldn't drop it, it had to be careful that its teeth didn't accidentally break the frame in two.
"PI-ka," Pikachu grunted, smiling devilishly at the boy.
Max was agitated, no matter how fast he ran the Pokemon would always outrun him. He knew this himself because of his studies and interest of Pokemon in general, that certain Pokemon could generally run much faster than humans. He was also perplexed, why did Pikachu suddenly snatch his glasses off his face and run away to begin with? Not only did neither Ash nor May follow Pikachu as it ran out of the suite, but he also noticed that Pikachu seemed to be stalling for something. Pikachu wasn't running around aimlessly, it was running in a distinct pattern around the hotel lobby in a way that Max would never catch up to him, yet he could always keep sight of him. Max was a bright boy, and he quickly deduced that there was a reason Pikachu was doing this, and it probably had to do with Ash.
Max took one small step toward Pikachu to confirm his suspicion, and Pikachu slowly took two steps away. Max took two steps himself, Pikachu took four. Max stepped three more times, Pikachu edged away six more times. All the while, Pikachu and Max stared each other down, grinning with their shining white teeth in a humorous manner.
The boy put his hands on his hips. He decided to announce his theory. "Alright, Pikachu, I can tell what you're doing," Max said proudly.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked, turning its head while the glasses dangled from its mouth.
"You're running with my glasses around the hotel because you have to keep me busy, right?" Max emphasized, waving his pointer finger. "I don't know what Ash has planned, but now that I know your little scheme, uh…."
"Chu, pika?"
Max's voice trembled as he began to pout. "Can I have my glasses back now, pretty please? It's sometimes hard to see where I'm going, and I almost bumped into an overweight woman on the way here. I really need them, Pikachu, if you give them back I promise to stay here in the lobby instead of going back to the room, ok?"
"Pikachu pika?"
"That's right, I'm getting kind of tired of running. I'll…just wait here in the lobby until whatever it is Ash has planned is over, and then we can go back into the room. It beats running, right?" Max asked, with a hint of doubt in his voice.
Pikachu rationalized that since Max already figured it out, there was no point in running with his glasses anymore. After all, he just had to keep Max busy for a while, but if Max himself was willing to wait in the lobby, it would be the same difference. Pikachu nodded, taking the glasses out of its mouth and held it with its front paws.
Heheh, Pikachu is falling for it, Max thought devilishly, He really thinks I'm going to wait here in the lobby, but no way am I doing that! There has to be something Ash is doing with my sister to want me out of the room for a while, and I'm going to find out what it is. The second Pikachu gives me back my glasses, I'm going to make a break for it back to the room.
Max and Pikachu walked toward each other with beaming faces, with Pikachu not suspecting a thing as it held out the glasses to the boy. Max smiled naively and took the glasses out of Pikachu's hands and put it back on his face. With the exchange completed, it was time for Max to get a head start.
"Thanks, Pikachu," Max said falsely, "Huh?"
"Pika?" Pikachu asked, looking at Max's surprised expression.
"LOOK OVER THERE, BEHIND YOU!" Max blurted out, pointing behind Pikachu's head, "Oh my gosh, it's Team Rocket and they're stealing Pokemon!"
"Pikachu pika?" Pikachu turned around quickly, getting it a battle ready position with sparks flying out of its red cheeks.
Pikachu then looked around in confusion as it didn't spot the controlling red-head, the flamboyant blue-haired male, or the talking Meowth anywhere.
"HAHA!" Max chortled, "FOOLED YA!"
The boy then quickly turned around and scampered out of the lobby in a hurry. Pikachu turned around angrily, it had been deceived!
"PIAKCHU PIKA!" Pikachu yelled, chasing after the boy.
"Hahaa!" Max giggled, running around corners as fast as he could, "I can't believe Pikachu fell for the "look out behind you!" gag, that was just too easy!"
Max darted between two overweight people and headed back for the catwalk where their room was.
"Now to find up what Ash and May are up to," Max said to himself.
"PIKACHU!" Pikachu yelled.
Max turned around in shock to see that Pikachu was right behind him! He smacked his forehead for not factoring in how fast Pikachu could run, and nearly toppled over a coffee table when he looked forward again. Pikachu decided that a little "payback" wouldn't do too much harm, as it unleashed a powered down version of its Thundershock attack at the boy. The attack was meant to shock Max slightly to stop him in his tracks, and not to harm him, so the electric type controlled it's electric release in an easy going manner.
"GAH!" Max screamed as the electric sensation when through his body. He stood still in shock as Pikachu jumped up and snatched his glasses off his face once again. When the electric attack ceased, he saw Pikachu on all fours again with his glasses back in its mouth.
"Oh c'mon, Pikachu! Don't tell me you're going to run away with my glasses again!" Max whined.
"PIKAPIKAPIKA!" Pikachu laughed, almost as if it was enjoying the satisfaction.
"It was just a joke!" Max pleaded.
Pikachu stuck out his tongue and then darted away on all fours again with Max's glasses. Max was willing to bang his head against the wall for having to chase Pikachu around the hotel all over again, as well as knowing that it wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
"Oh brother," Max sighed, "Whatever Ash and May are doing together better be worth all this running around, that's for sure. Although knowing them, they're probably fighting over which restaurant to eat at for lunch."
Max sighed again and continued his chase after Pikachu.
~*~*~*~*~*
"This'll do."
She tied the strings around her neck and adjusted the bikini in the mirror. She was impressed with how comfortable it felt, but with it being a prized bikini for a competition, it was no surprise that it was made so well. It was the perfect size for her figure, the cups covered as much as she wanted them to and it felt tight and secure on her body.
She ran her hands through her hair, pushing her locks of brown hair downward instead of sticking out to the sides. She took a long, hard look at herself in the mirror, wearing the prized bikini that Ash had spent so much money on. She knew that her mother would think it was insane for someone to spend so much money on something as trivial as a bikini, but to her, it was the perfect gift. It wasn't so much that she got what she wanted, but it was the fact that he cared enough to go out of his way to buy it for her.
"It really looks good on me," May said to herself.
She was a bit hesitant to open the bathroom door and talk to Ash with the bikini on. Her eyes fluttered as she felt those butterflies in her stomach again. Having spent a few minutes trying on the bikini in the bathroom, she was nervous about what Ash was thinking outside the bathroom door. She placed her fingers over her mouth, thinking about the soft, tender kiss she had given him just a few minutes ago. She was still getting a grip on the kiss herself, let alone wondering how Ash would think of her now.
She placed both hands down on the sink in front of the mirror, and leaned her face toward her reflection. Her pretty sapphire eyes revealed the insecurity in her character, she knew that kiss would change the way she and Ash interacted forever. One thing bothered her, would it be for the better, or the worse? What if he wasn't ready for anything like love or a relationship, and was content with being her close friend instead? Was Ash even aware of what the kiss meant? Did he even enjoy the kiss?
May shook her head while staring at herself in the mirror. "Don't be silly, May," she thought, "If Ash didn't like the kiss he would have freaked out. He…seemed like he was enjoying it, almost as if he was trying to kiss back but wasn't sure how."
She remembered his fond smile just before she entered the bathroom, that should have relieved her of her worries, but she was still nervous about talking to him face to face again. The moment she stepped in for the kiss, she knew that things would be different now.
"Ok, May, time to go out there and see what he thinks," she said, placing her hand on the doorknob, "I…hope he likes me too."
She slowly turned the doorknob, and walked out of the bathroom almost fearing the result.
"Ash?" she called out weakly.
He was still sitting on the side of her bed, with the little ribbon in his hand. His eyes were hidden under the brim of his hat, as if he had the same anxiety about facing her as well. She walked closer toward him, noticing he was running his fingers through the curls of the ribbon.
"You ok?" she asked.
He slowly lifted his hat up and looked at her, but much to her relief he had a positive expression on his face. His eyes wavered as it looked like he was still adjusting to the situation, while she stood next to him in the swimsuit that he had bought her. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, with both hesitant to say a word. He took a deep breath, getting up from the bed and eyeing her as if he was looking at her for the very first time.
May's voice squeaked, "Do…you like it on me?"
She put her hands to the side as she twirled around slowly presenting her swimsuit to him. The attractive swimsuit glimmered in the dimly lit room, there was no doubt that it was the center of attention. Even though he couldn't quite understand it, he was trying to grasp how beautiful she looked. Her long locks of brunette hair were cascading down the sides of her face, her swimsuit showcased her magnificent hourglass shape, and her bashful but hopeful expression gave away the fact that she was captivating in every sense of the word. Girls were always the last thing on Ash Ketchum's mind, but May was managing to climb quickly on his list of priorities.
"It…" he uttered, slightly trailing off.
"Yeah?" she answered.
"It looks really great on you…just like I knew it would," Ash said, smiling.
May cheered silently in delight. She smiled fondly and held both her hands against her chest. She walked toward her dresser and browsed through her fanny pack, turning her head slightly toward Ash during her conversation.
"Um…Ash?" she asked, looking through her bag, "Didn't you say you had something for my brother too?"
Ash's mind clicked as he remembered that he saved something for Max as well.
"That's right, thanks for reminding me," Ash said warmly. He picked up his bag from the floor and started to search through it.
"After…what just happened, I thought you might get a bit forgetful about other stuff," May teased.
"I…remembered," Ash reassured her, picking up what he wanted from the bag, "I can't forget about your little brother now, can I?"
May turned around from fanny pack, anxiously awaiting to see what Ash had bought for him.
"Did you spend more of your birthday money on Max's gift?" she asked.
"I spent all of the rest," Ash said.
May was taken back, once again he had managed to surprise her. It warmed her heart to know that Ash spent his entire funds on getting her and her brother a present. She ended up feeling a tad guilty about not having any gift to give him in return, but she promised herself once she saved up some money in the future, she would surely pay him back for this gesture.
Ash slid the item into his pants pocket and looked at May for approval. He mentioned how Max's gift wasn't wrapped like hers was, but it was something special that Max had wanted for a long, long time.
"You're his older sister, May, so you're the authority. I think I should ask you if it's ok if I should give this to Max before he sees it," Ash said.
"Wow, what is it? Is it something really important?" she asked.
Ash was about to begin his next line but found himself lost in eye contact with her. They awkwardly found themselves unable to look away, almost as if the intensity of the kiss was refreshed back into their minds. They stared for a few more seconds, until a certain boy and a Pikachu ran into the doorway.
"AHA!" Max bellowed.
Ash and May jumped in unison, the shock nearly scared them out of their skin. Ash grabbed his heart and tried gasping for air as May shrieked at the top of her lungs.
"Wow, what's with them?" Max shrugged, raising his glasses on his forehead, looking at Pikachu for an answer.
"Pi-kachu," Pikachu sighed.
"MAX, DON'T SNEAK UP ON US LIKE THAT!" May yelled, trying to catch her breath.
"Sneak up on you, what the heck were you two doing?" Max questioned.
"NOTHING!" Ash and May shouted in unison, almost defensively.
Ash and May awkwardly glanced at once another, trying to hide the small tints of red that were breaking out on their faces. It didn't take Max long to realize that not only was something up, but he noticed that his sister was wearing a new swimsuit as well.
"Hey, isn't that the swimsuit you wanted from the competition, May?" Max asked. He walked over to his sister and eyed the Torchic pattern on the right cup of the top.
"Ye-s, yeah it is, Max," May said, "I'm so happy that I was able to get it after all, tee hee!"
Max walked around his sister and looked at the Skitty face that was imprinted on the bottom piece over her backside. He snorted childishly, somewhat amused by the cutesy Skitty pattern.
"I guess he likes the Skitty/Torchic bikini too, Ash," May grinned.
"I wonder if the faces are made of bumpy fabric or something," Max pondered, pressing his hand against her backside.
May jumped and turned around quickly as she felt her brother place his hand against her butt.
"Max! That was gross, you just touched my butt!" May gasped.
"What?!" Max reacted in surprise, "Whoa…I didn't mean to…I…just wanted to see how the faces were imprinted on the bathing suit!"
Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder as the two shared a laugh together.
"Well…as long as you're telling the truth, Max," May said knowingly.
"Of course, do you think I actually want to touch your butt? I don't need any girl cooties you know, especially from you, sis," Max grunted, shaking his head.
May laughed, "Aren't you wondering how I got this bikini, Max?"
She held her hands behind her back, presenting her bikini for Max to behold. Ash realized that with Max here he would probably have to show him his present before May saw it, which would be a slight alteration to his original plan.
Before Max could answer, May filled him in on the fact that Ash spent his birthday money to buy her the swimsuit she wanted from Fredrick, the announcer of the Water Pokemon surfing competition. She even slid in a few remarks about how thoughtful and endearing Ash was to get it for her, almost giving her brother the slight suspicion that she and Ash seemed closer than they usual. When she let it slip that Ash had bought a present for him too, Max jumped for joy and ran up to Ash as if he were waiting for presents on Christmas day.
"I was going to ask your sister for approval first, but I guess there's no harm done. This is for you, Max, for being such a great little buddy," Ash said proudly.
He picked his hand out of his pocket to reveal a Pokeball, painted completely white with a red outline.
Max's eyes twinkled, recognizing the type of Pokeball it was. "That's a Premium Ball, isn't it?" He took the ball out of Ash's hands and examined it closely.
"Sure is, it's a pretty expensive Pokeball too," Ash said proudly, "I bought it from one of the stores on the side of the boardwalk."
"Is there a Pokemon inside?" Max asked excitedly.
"Sorry, it's an empty ball, Max," Ash smirked.
"Aw, no problem though, Ash. I'm not disappointed," Max said.
May raised an eye brow and looked at Ash suspiciously. There appeared to be something off in Ash's tone, and it wasn't just from his previous uneasiness. She noticed it when Ash handed her brother the Pokeball, something was amiss.
"That Premium Pokeball is a gift for you to capture your very first Pokemon with when you start your journey," Ash said, "We've been traveling together for a long time, and well, this is my way of making sure that you'll be on the first step to becoming an awesome trainer someday."
"I never even thought of that, that is so cool," Max blurted out, "After I get my starter Pokemon from a Professor, I am definitely going to use this to capture my first Pokemon with!" Max struck a pose launching the white Pokeball into the air triumphantly.
"Pika pika?" Pikachu asked its trainer quietly.
"Shhh," Ash whispered, trying to calm Pikachu down.
Pikachu notices it too. Hmmm, Premium Balls don't usually cost a lot of money do they? May thought, What's going on, Ash?
The two older trainers watched as Max scampered to his backpack and gently put the Premium Ball in the front pouch. He patted it proudly and thanked Ash enthusiastically for the gift. When May asked if Max would use the ball to capture any Pokemon right now, Max refused, saying that he wouldn't want to capture a Pokemon until he officially starts his journey. She knew that was a good idea, but she couldn't help but feel that Ash was still hiding something.
"Max!" May commanded.
Max stopped in his tracks, looking up confused. "What?"
"I thought you said you were going to go swimming with me, remember?" she reminded him.
"Oh right, I forgot about that. Do I still have to go?" Max whined.
"Be sweet for once, Max, just like you were 10 minutes ago," she winked. She walked over to Ash and tugged on his arm, pulling him with her out toward the catwalks. "While you change in the room I have to ask Ash something, ok?"
"Yeah yeah, I'll be changed in a second," Max said, closing the door.
She brought Ash and Pikachu out to the catwalk and was ready to grill him about her concern.
"I hope this doesn't sound strange or anything, but was that really the present you were going to give Max?" she asked.
"Pikapika?" Pikachu asked.
"So you're wondering too, Pikachu?" Ash said, turning to Pikachu on his shoulder. "Anyway no, that wasn't Max's real gift."
"It wasn't?"
"No, Pikachu must know why too," Ash said, "When you knocked on the door before with Max, I was just about finished with finally wrapping the paper and tying the ribbon around your gift, May. You almost caught me off guard!"
She smiled. "Ooh, then I would have spoiled the surprise, huh?"
"Something like that," Ash said, "I hope this doesn't sound stupid, but I really didn't have anything for Max at the moment."
"Huh? Then why did you have that Premium Ball? You said you spent the rest of your money on that?" May asked, muddled about the whole thing.
"I actually got the Premium Ball from Professor Latrommi," Ash admitted, "You know he works for Devon Company, and they manufacture Pokeballs like that one. Right before we headed down to the beach, he gave me that Premium Ball as a way of thanking me for all the hard work we did, helping him come to terms with himself and his inventions. Since I didn't have time to actually buy Max anything, I figured that he would probably like the Premium Ball, since it's pretty cool and has a higher chance of capturing Pokemon than a normal Pokeball. It'll be good use for him to use for his first Pokemon capture."
"Oh, well…I guess that makes sense," May said uneasily.
"That's not all though, I have a real present that I want to give Max too," Ash added, "But I want you to hold onto it for him, since you're his sister."
"That's what you mentioned before, right?"
Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded envelope filled to the brim with cash. It was the other half of his birthday money that he had left over from May's swimsuit. He handed it to May and instructed her to hold onto the money for him, since he knew Max was too young to be carrying so much money on his own. She held the envelope in her hands and agreed to keep it in a safe place, there was just about 300 smackers in there that Ash was willing to give to Max.
"You know, if you give this money to Max, you'll have spent all your birthday money on the two of us," May said cautiously.
"Didn't I say before that you two deserve it?" Ash asked cheerfully, "I feel somewhat guilty getting you a gift but nothing for Max, so I hope the Premium Ball and the money makes up for it. I want you to hold onto the money for him until he sees something he wants, that way he can get a present for himself."
"That's very sweet of you, Ash," she said, holding the envelope in her right hand. She looked at the closed door of the room and then back at him. "When Max is done changing I'll put the money away in my fanny pack, I promise not to misplace it or anything," she said.
She gazed at him fondly, the altruism toward her brother was what made Ash so alluring. Aside from being pretty attractive himself, his personality shone through and shattered every barrier otherwise. He wasn't a guy just looking to get a girl, but he was a guy who wanted to make other people happy. She chuckled to herself, Drew never really cared about my brother, the nerve he had. You don't try to swoon someone over by roses and false flattery, only shallow girls fall for that.
It was time to let her bottled up feelings gradually emerge.
"By the way, Ash, do you want to come swimming with us too?" she asked sweetly.
"Ok, of course, I guess I have nothing better to do," Ash grinned, "Is Brock going to join us too?"
"Brock is…busy at the moment, I'm sure he's having a good time though," May said awkwardly, "Anyway, time to see how this Skitty/Torchic swimsuit is in the water. It would be rude of me to just wear the bikini you bought but never "use" it right?"
"Pika pika," Pikachu shook its head.
She approached him and took his hand, knowing that he was still feeling the aftermath of the kiss. She wanted to ease him into this as best she could, for she too was experiencing the feeling of doubt and insecurity. Max almost completely escaping from their mind, they slowly walked around the catwalks hand in hand. Pikachu stood by the hotel door, dumbfounded. Ash and May didn't usually hold hands when they walked together, did they?
"Nothing changed, right, Ash?" she asked, "You're ok with what I did before, right?"
"Um, I guess so," Ash said sheepishly, "I'm not sure what to make of the whole kissing thing…I've never done that before."
"My…Mom, always said that a kiss should be special," May said softly, "It was my first kiss too, and I…shared it with you."
Ash tried to hold back his scarlet colored cheeks, but it was of no use. May noticed them and giggled, as they continued to walk down the catwalks and into the corridors of the lobby area.
"Should I say thank you for the kiss?" Ash asked naively.
"Wha? No, you dummy!" May said, playfully pulling on his arm. She spoke sincerely, "I just want to know if you liked it. If…you like me that is."
Ash's throat went dry, but he tried to keep up his end of the conversation. While he wasn't sure about his feelings on May as a whole, he knew what he liked.
"It was nice," Ash said simply.
"That's good enough," May giggled, "I was worried you'd freak out, but I'm glad you're not totally turned off by the idea of me kissing you."
"Kissing? I thought it was just one kiss," Ash asked.
May stopped walking and turned to him, their eyes met as they were about equal height. She bashfully shrugged her shoulders as her pink Skitty swimsuit glimmered in the sun.
"That was just one kiss, but there could be more where that came from. I…could kiss you again if you let me," she said jittery.
Ash took a deep breath, and after some careful thought, he decided to hug her instead. He wrapped his arms around her body and brought her up against his own. May leaned her head against his shoulder yearningly, blushing with excitement. He wasn't quite sure why he decided to hug her, but perhaps it was because he was too nervous about the prospect of kissing her again, that he thought this was a much easier alternative.
"We could hug too, that's not out of the question either," May laughed, rubbing her face along his shoulders.
"If…if you say so," Ash said affectionately, "We kind of already held each other the whole time while surfing. I'm used to holding you in my arms by now."
"That's a funny way of looking at things, guess we both enjoyed holding onto each other, huh?" May asked.
She took her head off his body and stepped a bit backward, looking up at him.
"Ash?"
"Yeah?"
"Go get changed," May winked.
She removed herself from his embrace and pointed back toward the catwalks where their room was.
Ash was flabbergasted, "Whoa, I totally forgot! We actually walked down through the whole lobby and forgot about Max and Pikachu?"
"Guess so!" May smiled, "You don't forget Pikachu often, you must have been really focused on me to totally have your best buddy slip your mind."
"Well I…" Ash stuttered.
"Go," May said humorously, pointing again, "And bring my brother back with you, I want to cool off in the water, it's hot as hell out here."
"Alright, one little brother and a Pikachu coming up, they'll be coming with me!" Ash said cheerfully.
"Awesome," May said, "Hurry up though, because besides that, I want to see you shirtless again!"
Ash stood still in amazement. It was quite shocking to know everything that was going on in her mind was now becoming blatant. He thought about how she probably always really liked him holding her around on the surfboard as well as being shirtless, but she never really made it apparent other than some sly comments. Then again, he quickly came to the realization that he liked seeing her in a bikini as well, so apparently, things were becoming pretty clear.
Outside the hotel room, an impatient Max in his bathing suit was tapping his slippers against the floor. Pikachu sat on the bench confused.
"Where the heck did they go?!" Max gasped, "One minute she's on my back to get changed so she could go swimming, and the next she disappears with Ash! What is it with those two lately?"
"Chuu, pika!" Pikachu grinned, agreeing with Max.
~*~*~*
Brock held his clothes jumbled in a ball in his arms. He was wearing just his bathing suit, trying to pick up all his apparel that was scattered along the floor. He awkwardly walked around the edge of the hot spring tub, trying to spot his socks. He was hoping they didn't accidentally get knocked into the water during the "excitement."
"Where could they be? My socks can't just disappear somewhere," Brock said confounded.
He looked around the premises some more until he eventually gave up. He turned back to Tana and Jamie who were busy getting dressed themselves.
"Hey, did you two see my socks anywhere?" Brock asked.
Tana was busy straightening out her red hair with her comb, but she made an effort to respond. "Are you sure it's not under our stuff?" she responded, "It could be under my clothes or something."
"Hm, maybe," Brock said, his eyes almost in a trance as Tana pulled a shirt on over her bare chest.
"I have them," Jamie said, holding out a pair of green socks, "They were hanging off the railing by the wall."
"Oh thanks!" Brock said.
He took the socks from her and stuck it in the jumble of clothes he was holding. He started walking for the exit, but turned around one last time to say something.
"Um, we'll see each other again, right?" Brock asked feverishly.
Jamie cracked her neck nonchalantly, exhausted from the "workout" moments before. Unlike her friend however, Tana quickly ran up to Brock to say goodbye to him before he left.
"I'd like to see you again," Tana said sweetly, "And not just for another "hot spring" session either."
"That's a bummer, I really enjoyed the "hot spring" session," Brock snickered.
"No, I mean…we can do this again sure thing, but I really want to see more of you otherwise," Tana said modestly, "I really like you, Brock, but…"
She turned her head toward Jamie, who was sitting on the lounge chair putting her jeans on. Jamie seems to be pretty indifferent, and Brock took notice of it. Tana turned and faced Brock again.
"I don't think this double dating thing is going to work out," she said, "Jamie actually spent more time on me during our playtime together than you, which was really surprising."
"Yeah, I noticed," Brock said elated, remembering the girl on girl action he watched in all its glory.
"You don't get it, do you?" Tana asked, placing her hand on his cheek. "I want a real relationship with you, Brock, but I don't think Jamie does. She's just in it for the…"
"Figures," Brock said sternly, "But hey, getting one girl out of the deal still sounds good. How's about this, I can cook you a three course meal tomorrow, just another example of my cooking skills. After that we can just hang out around the beach, my friends should be staying here for at least another couple of days."
"Good, I was just afraid you might run off with your friends after you had your way with us," Tana sighed, "My previous boyfriends were all like that, but you're different. I can see that there's a real fine young man behind all your hormones."
"I'll…take that as a compliment," Brock chuckled.
In his nervousness his shirt slipped off the bundle of clothes he was carrying, falling to the floor. Knowing that Brock was holding too much to bend down and pick it up without dropping everything, Tana plucked his shirt up and placed it back on top.
"Thanks," Brock said, "I'll be heading back to the hotel to see if my friends are there, see you tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow then," she said.
She moved in forward and kissed Brock on the cheek, and then started walking back toward her friend. Brock smiled, happy that Tana was serious about him. He exited the hot spring area and began making his way to the locker room to change into his clothes, squealing to himself the whole way for his "achievement" in the way of women.
~*~*~*
Ash, May, Max and Pikachu spent the afternoon swimming on the beach. Finally relieved of the humidity, May was as upbeat as ever, playfully jumping on Ash's back and making him carry her through the waves. He wobbled carelessly due to her weight, holding her legs with his arms while she had her arms wrapped across his neck. Every wave would threaten to knock the duo over, but Ash promised her that he would never let her fall into the water. As a few more threatening waves began to form, she clutched him around tightly as she rested flatly on his back, with Ash hunched over anticipating the assault.
"This wave looks too big, it's going to knock us both over for sure!" May gasped.
"Not if I can help it," Ash said, "I'll try to withstand it!"
"You're crazy, Ash! You may be determined but a wave that big is going to cover both of us and knock us around. You're not too smart, are ya?"
"How 'bout I just drop you into the water now and run back to shore myself, that'll work," Ash teased.
May laughed as she tightened her grip around him as the wave approached.
"If this wave does knock us over, I'm getting the last croissant when we eat dinner tonight," she said.
"Oh c'mon, you always eat all of the croissants and leave none left for me! This wouldn't be any different than usual, May," Ash said, looking up at her.
"Fine, then how about…a…"
"…kiss?" Ash finished for her.
"How…how did you know I was going to say that?" May asked.
"Because you're May, I think I know how May works by now," Ash said.
"So it's a deal then, if we get knocked over by the wave we share another kiss, right, Ash?"
"If we both get knocked over together, don't hold your breath for that one though."
"I'll only have to hold my breath while I'm underwater, because we're definitely going to be sunk!" May exclaimed.
As the wave was about to crash down upon them, Ash purposely let go of May's legs and let her gently down to the sand.
"Ash, why'd you let me down?" May asked as she waded in the water. She turned around to find Ash but he was nowhere around!
"Good luck, May!" Ash cheered, running back to shore.
"Wow, I am going to definitely kill you for this, Ash Ketchum," May said sternly.
A second later, the wave crashed down on top of her and submerged her beneath the waves. Ash and Max chuckled from the shore as they watched May desperately try to stand up, only to be knocked over by a similar sized wave soon afterward.
"Think I was a little hard on her, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Pikachu pika," Pikachu said.
Max snorted, "Nah, my sister will survive, it's no biggie."
An annoyed May started walking back to shore, with fire in her eyes gearing toward Ash. She walked up to Ash and spoke quietly, so neither Max or Pikachu would hear.
"If you didn't want to kiss me again you should have just said so, you didn't have to pull a stunt like that," she whispered.
Ash looked at her confused, "I didn't drop you because of that."
"Maybe it's because you're too afraid to feel another kiss, I think I felt your lips trembling the first time," she said.
"I'm not afraid," Ash said earnestly.
"Uh, what are you two whispering about?" Max asked, walking over to Ash and May.
"Nothing that concerns you, Max, but I think I'll head back to the hotel room now. I've had enough salt water in my mouth for one day," she said.
She gave Ash the eye before she picked up her towel, drying herself off while walking. All that could be seen was the chibi Skitty face on the bottom of her bikini as she walked off in the distance.
Afraid to kiss her again? I think May is a little afraid herself, Ash thought.
~*~*~*
"WHERE IS IT?" May gasped frantically.
She shook her fanny pack awkwardly but it was nowhere to be found. She then searched all the dressers and drawers in the room, as well as under the beds and in the bathroom, but it was still missing!
"I don't believe this, I placed the envelope with the money right in my fanny pack before we left! How could it have disappeared?" May wondered.
She wondered if Max perhaps found the money somehow and put it in his bag, but when she searched it, it wasn't in there either.
"We all left the hotel room together…I don't know how…"
May quickly had a light bulb flash on inside her head. She left with Ash, Max and Pikachu, but what if Brock came back to the hotel room while they were at the beach? That was the only person that could have come in here, as the hotel room door was definitely locked when she came back.
But then again, why in the world would Brock take the money? Why in the world would Brock even search through her fanny pack in the first place, when he would never do such a thing and invade her privacy like that.
"No, it can't be Brock. Even if he did come back to the room, that doesn't make any sense," she said, "He would never do something like that."
She hopelessly began to search the room for the envelope with the money again, looking through each zipper in her fanny pack as well as getting on her hands and knees and searching the floor. This was completely insane! There were 300 bucks in that envelope, that is no laughing matter.
A fearful thought then clicked in her mind of what Ash might think if she told him she lost the money. She had just promised him before they left that she would never misplace it, but if she did tell him, would that promise be broken? After the altruistic deed of buying her the special bikini as well as the gifts for Max, she certainly couldn't upset Ash and tell him the money was missing.
"Damn it, this is so frustrating," May whined.
There was knock on the door, which startled May as she jumped.
"May?" Ash called out from outside the door.
"It's Ash," May said quietly to herself. Would she run the risk of telling him that she somehow lost the money, despite the fact that she carefully put it in her fanny pack before she left?
She quickly ran to the door and opened it, as Ash, Max and Pikachu walked into the room. Pikachu hopped on the bed, ready to take a rest after playing on the beach.
May looked at her brother with an upset feeling, he had a gift of 300 dollars and he didn't even know he got the money yet in the first place. With the money now missing, she would be heartbroken to tell him that she was holding onto it for him in the first place.
"Max?" May asked almost on impulse.
Max turned to her while whipping the lenses of his glasses with a nearby tissue.
"Do…do you still have your Premium Ball?" she asked curiously.
"Uh…sure. Why wouldn't I have it?" Max asked. He walked over to his bag and unzipped the front pouch, taking out the Premium ball and showing it to May for confirmation.
Oh right, I'm such an idiot. I actually saw the ball in his bag before while I was searching for the money. Now I sound really stupid, he'll probably wonder why I asked such a thing, Ash too. May thought.
"The Premium Ball?" Ash wondered, "May, I'm wondering why you would ask such a thing?"
"I know, right. Stuff doesn't just disappear out of thin air you know," Max said.
"Yeah, you're right," she replied sheepishly.
Max picked up his shorts from the bed, he was ready to change back into his clothes as he headed into the bathroom and shut the door. May looked at Ash who was still standing there for well…pretty much no reason at all. With Max in the bathroom, could she possibly break the news to Ash that the money was missing?
Ash yawned, stretching his arms. He noticed her looking at him as her eyes wobbled in doubt. "Are…are you still annoyed that I dropped you in the water?" he asked.
"No, not that," May said cautiously.
Her insides felt like they were splitting apart, it was almost painful to tell Ash that she lost the birthday money he had given to Max. She knew she shouldn't feel this way, especially since the money shouldn't have disappeared in the first place, but it was still painful nonetheless. How could she tell her best friend, or rather someone who may very well become more than a friend in the near future, that she lost something so important so quickly?
It's almost like I can't tell him, May thought, Heck, this is even harder to say than confessing my feelings for him, oddly enough. Unless our first kiss was meant to confess my feelings, but I can't be bothered with such trivial details.
"May, you still have the envelope with the money in it, right?" Ash asked.
"Whaaaaa….WHAT?" May gasped.
Ash was started, why did she have such a strong reaction?
May quickly calmed herself down, trying to get a grip on herself. "Sorry about that, I kinda….felt the need to "squeak" or something," she said naively.
"Heh, it was a stupid question anyway, forget it," Ash said, rubbing his tummy, "I'm getting hungry, let's go get something to eat! I'm definitely going to out-eat you at the buffet today, May."
"Uh…yeah, ok," May said, lost in thought.
"I'll share the croissants with you, just so you know," Ash winked.
"Heh, thanks a bunch, Ash," May smiled, "I just want to let you know that…"
She approached him closely, while Pikachu watched from the bed. She looked at him seriously, ready to tell him about the money…but after a few moments…she chickened out. It was still too painful to tell him.
"Aw…to heck with it," May said, disappointed in herself.
"What?" he asked.
In order to avoid suspicion, she decided to give him a bit of affection instead. Neither one of them seemed to remember that Pikachu was in the room.
She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek, reminding him that they share more closeness now than before. Pikachu's ears shot up in disbelief as it watched the girl peck its trainer on the cheek with her moist girly lips.
"Pika pika?!?!??!?!" Pikachu said out loud.
"Ugh, Pikachu was here?" May shrieked in fear.
Ash scratched his cheek where she had kissed him, not really expecting that at all. He then quickly waved his hands in front of his Pokemon telling it that nothing crazy was going on.
"Pikachuuuuuu," Pikachu mocked, making little kissy faces with its little Pokemon lips.
"Pikachu, you don't think…" Ash tried to say.
May was relieved once she realized how playful Pikachu could be. "Pikachu, you're so silly!" May said happily.
"Um, Pikachu. Let's not tell anyone about this, ok?" Ash pleaded.
"Chu, pikachu. Pika, pikachu," Pikachu said, sealing its lips with its finger.
"Aw, you're wonderful, Pikachu," May said cheerfully, picking Pikachu up from the bed and squeezing it in her arms.
As Pikachu hugged May back in her arms, she stroked it on its head between its ears. Her train of thought then began to switch back to her previous dilemma.
I'll wait till tomorrow, she thought, If I don't find the money by tonight, then I'll definitely tell Ash tomorrow. I…just can't believe it's gone.
"I hope Brock manages to come back soon, or else we're going to dinner without him!" Ash said.
"Yep," May said lowly, cradling Pikachu in her arms.
I know this sounds crazy, but Brock is the only one I can think of. I know he would never do such a thing, but he really is the only person that could have come here and went through my bag, taking the cash, May thought desperately, God, I hate to put the blame on one of my friends, but what choice do I have? If I ask him and he knows nothing about it, then at least I can be relieved by that. But if not him, then who…or…how?
She tried to push the horrible thought out of her mind for the time being because she wanted to enjoy dinner with Ash and her brother. Perhaps Ash would challenge her to another round of "croissant eat 'em up?" She licked her lips in anticipation, maybe after all the eating she could spend a romantic night walking on the boardwalk hand in hand with Ash. But, no matter how hard she tried to focus her mind on the happy thoughts, she kept on drifting to that stabbing feeling in the back of her head.
The money…gone. And Brock was the only possible candidate to do it. She almost hated herself for placing the blame on him again, it was quite a frustrating ordeal, especially since he might not have done it either.
She sighed in despair. It became quite clear, May had some problems, and in more ways than one.